Editing Palearctic realm (section)

===Mediterranean Basin===
{{main|Mediterranean Basin}}
The lands bordering the [[Mediterranean Sea]] in southern Europe, north Africa, and western Asia are home to the [[Mediterranean Basin]] ecoregions, which together constitute the world's largest and most diverse [[mediterranean climate]] region of the world, with generally mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Mediterranean basin's mosaic of [[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub]] are home to 13,000 [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] species. The Mediterranean basin is also one of the world's most endangered biogeographic regions; only 4% of the region's original vegetation remains, and human activities, including [[overgrazing]], [[deforestation]], and conversion of lands for pasture, agriculture, and urbanization, have degraded much of the region. Formerly the region was mostly covered with forests and woodlands, but heavy human use has reduced much of the region to the [[sclerophyll]] shrublands known as [[chaparral]], [[matorral]], [[Maquis shrubland|maquis]], or [[garrigue]]. [[Conservation International]] has designated the Mediterranean basin as one of the world's [[biodiversity hotspot]]s.